Tagging is a concept I'm pretty familiar with. I have used it in photobucket to differentiate between family photos, different vacations and events, and photos I used for my myspace page, for profile pictures, and for various web 2.0 projects like lolcats. I've also used it in Librarything as a substitute for subject headings. I have created a small school library using librarything and the tags help people search by subject.
I know that tagging probably makes catalogers retch and want to run for the hills. However, I think google has pretty much changed the way people look at subject searches. Folks don't really want to take the effort to learn controlled vocabulary anymore; they want to put in a search term that comes to them naturally that leads to their desired result. To some degree, I understand that. I can understand why a lay person would want to be able to find information on the Civil War by typing in The Civil War rather than having to say United States - History - Civil War - 1861 - 1865. The latter is more technically precise, but less accessible. One of the things the Web has done is turn everybody into an online researcher; a skill once reserved for academics is now universal. Tagging allows subject search with more universal language. Since we are dealing with instant electronic searches through cyberspace rather than time-intensive manual searches through card catalogs, this can be effective.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
This one's easy. I'm already doing it. I began twittering (tweeting?) earlier this year when some of my favorite entertainers began twittering messages. I actually learned about twitter from their myspace pages. It's been an interesting way to keep up with concert information and the like.
Pros: Pithy comments, to the point, but not abbreviated grammarless messes.
Good for communicating very basic, urgent information.
Easy to protect yourself from weirdos. And I've already met some of those.
By looking at people your people are following, you can meet other interesting people. However, it's also got its limitations.
Recent news events have established the potential of twitter to shape the world; we now have an army of amateur reporters who are capable of making the atrocities in Iran obvious before official news organizations have the opportunity to bowlderize reality into something acceptable and palatable.
Cons: I don't see using this for people I know in real life. I don't think it's a very articulate or effective form of communication for any message of any real depth. If I need to tell my husband that he needs to pick up some bread or my daughter that she needs to remember her swimsuit, I think a phone call, or even a voicemail, is more likely to be effective.
I have seen twitters where people tell their legion of followers these earthshattering bits of information: Going out to eat. Went to see a Mets game. Baked some cookies. Is it really necessary for us to share the minutae of our lives with the world? I don't know that my day to day stuff is all that interesting and I can't think of a good reason why anybody would follow me for that kind of information. However, I've been a very conservative tweeter - I think I've sent six whole messages in my entire life. Twitter sounds like a good way to attract a stalker, if you are not careful. I think I'll stick to finding out concert information, for now. Also - The Onion on Twitter is good for a laugh.
Pros: Pithy comments, to the point, but not abbreviated grammarless messes.
Good for communicating very basic, urgent information.
Easy to protect yourself from weirdos. And I've already met some of those.
By looking at people your people are following, you can meet other interesting people. However, it's also got its limitations.
Recent news events have established the potential of twitter to shape the world; we now have an army of amateur reporters who are capable of making the atrocities in Iran obvious before official news organizations have the opportunity to bowlderize reality into something acceptable and palatable.
Cons: I don't see using this for people I know in real life. I don't think it's a very articulate or effective form of communication for any message of any real depth. If I need to tell my husband that he needs to pick up some bread or my daughter that she needs to remember her swimsuit, I think a phone call, or even a voicemail, is more likely to be effective.
I have seen twitters where people tell their legion of followers these earthshattering bits of information: Going out to eat. Went to see a Mets game. Baked some cookies. Is it really necessary for us to share the minutae of our lives with the world? I don't know that my day to day stuff is all that interesting and I can't think of a good reason why anybody would follow me for that kind of information. However, I've been a very conservative tweeter - I think I've sent six whole messages in my entire life. Twitter sounds like a good way to attract a stalker, if you are not careful. I think I'll stick to finding out concert information, for now. Also - The Onion on Twitter is good for a laugh.
IM
I'm kind of uneasy about this one for several reasons.
1. It requires that I download software onto my computer. If I understand my IT rules correctly, I am not supposed to do that with my workstation. I could probably do it from home without feeling like I am violating a policy.
2. Hasn't texting pretty much made this obsolete? There are several types of communication I understand:
a. I am very comfortable sending emails on my workstation to professional coworkers.
b. Realtime communication by telephone works quite well in a work setting.
c. Texting is a convenient way to send somebody a message when you are on the go, you are in a hurry, and you just need to communicate a pithy message quickly.
However, IMs seem to be, well, so 2000. Besides which I have never enjoyed chat mode. It seems to promote inane conversation at a snail's pace. I am not going to do this application on my work computer. I will see if I can remember to do it from home - but even then, who would I IM? Most of the folks I'd like to talk to, I can Facebook. Facebook also promotes complete thoughts spelled correctly in a cohesive manner. I am not a big fan of applications that promote bad literacy habits.
1. It requires that I download software onto my computer. If I understand my IT rules correctly, I am not supposed to do that with my workstation. I could probably do it from home without feeling like I am violating a policy.
2. Hasn't texting pretty much made this obsolete? There are several types of communication I understand:
a. I am very comfortable sending emails on my workstation to professional coworkers.
b. Realtime communication by telephone works quite well in a work setting.
c. Texting is a convenient way to send somebody a message when you are on the go, you are in a hurry, and you just need to communicate a pithy message quickly.
However, IMs seem to be, well, so 2000. Besides which I have never enjoyed chat mode. It seems to promote inane conversation at a snail's pace. I am not going to do this application on my work computer. I will see if I can remember to do it from home - but even then, who would I IM? Most of the folks I'd like to talk to, I can Facebook. Facebook also promotes complete thoughts spelled correctly in a cohesive manner. I am not a big fan of applications that promote bad literacy habits.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Ning, Ning, Ning went the bell...
I signed up for Ning today and sniffed around it a bit. It does remind me very much of MySpace, but it seems to be a lot cleaner; I think maybe the emphasis on shared interests and activities promotes a more civilized level of dialog. I made a Myspace page a couple of years ago just to learn how to do it, but I don't really like Myspace much. One of the things I like about Ning is that I don't have to create a detailed, involved page; I can just have an account and discuss things with others. I did sign up for one group - Work Literacy, which is exploring Web 2.0 with some additional emphasis on LinkedIn. I looked at other things as diverse as Walt Disney World, Sims 3, Dallas Cowboys Fans and even one group dedicated to mourning Michael Jackson. One frustration: I found a group for employees of my library system, but it was invitation only and I did not know the last name of the contact person.
Today I also checked my Google Reader and discovered how fast I could go through the daily headlines. It really is faster than Favorites. I think I may set up some of these things at home, too. I want to reserve my Web 2.0 work stuff for professional contacts only. (Hey, I may enjoy Sims 3 but I feel no need to have it intrude in my professional life, indeed, I'd rather set aside the distraction.)
Today I also checked my Google Reader and discovered how fast I could go through the daily headlines. It really is faster than Favorites. I think I may set up some of these things at home, too. I want to reserve my Web 2.0 work stuff for professional contacts only. (Hey, I may enjoy Sims 3 but I feel no need to have it intrude in my professional life, indeed, I'd rather set aside the distraction.)
More Facebook
Today I got down to the meaty part of the exercise - finding Friends. Previously, I had created content by adding a comment and then posting a link to ALA. Today, I asked about 10 people, mostly co-workers, to friend me. It's amazing how fast this can work - I had two people add me within half an hour! And I've already responded to one comic picture sent by one of them.
Tuesday - By morning I had seven friends. I commented on a few walls, and one of my cohorts gave me a cute idea: Make a post asking people to recall a memory of the two of you together. It's a way to spark conversation. I took a few quizzes, and learned, among other things, that I am a cross between Mrs. Frizzle and Hermione Granger. Then I decided I was having WAY too much fun with this. It could get downright addicting! Much nicer than Myspace! I very much prefer knowing the people I talk to! I also became a fan of the Log Cabin Village, the Kimbell Art Museum, and the Smithsonian. I like the intellectual level of the messages I am receiving. This could end up being very educational. I really need to apply some of this at home when I have time to be more frivolous with it.
Tuesday - By morning I had seven friends. I commented on a few walls, and one of my cohorts gave me a cute idea: Make a post asking people to recall a memory of the two of you together. It's a way to spark conversation. I took a few quizzes, and learned, among other things, that I am a cross between Mrs. Frizzle and Hermione Granger. Then I decided I was having WAY too much fun with this. It could get downright addicting! Much nicer than Myspace! I very much prefer knowing the people I talk to! I also became a fan of the Log Cabin Village, the Kimbell Art Museum, and the Smithsonian. I like the intellectual level of the messages I am receiving. This could end up being very educational. I really need to apply some of this at home when I have time to be more frivolous with it.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
I have created an account on Facebook. I had to use my real name. I have to say this made me a bit nervous; I've been around the internet enough times to know there are some very unpleasant people out there. However, when I realized I could hide my profile so that only people I'd friended could see it, I felt a bit better. I did not have any trouble with IT restrictions in setting up the website, but I carefully blogged that this account was set up for the North Texas 23 exercise, anyway.
Since Facebook is set up for individuals, rather than for places, I would not be able to use this application to promote the library. However, I've got the blog for that. I think Facebook might be an effective way of keeping up with professional colleagues.
I have successfully uploaded a profile picture of myself and I've created two posts on the wall - one links to the ALA website.
Since Facebook is set up for individuals, rather than for places, I would not be able to use this application to promote the library. However, I've got the blog for that. I think Facebook might be an effective way of keeping up with professional colleagues.
I have successfully uploaded a profile picture of myself and I've created two posts on the wall - one links to the ALA website.
Google Reader - Two days in
A few days ago I posted regarding Google Reader; I wasn't sure how it differed from a list of Favorites. Today, I'm seeing it; since most of the RSS feeds I've put into my Google Reader are news sites, I am getting a lot of headlines from several different sources that I can screen through very quickly. It seems to be a fast way of having a superficial knowledge of what's going on everywhere - from the current debate on Health Care to Tom Watson's lead at the British Open. Since we are supposed to keep up to date on current events, this is an efficient way of doing that.
Friday, July 17, 2009
RSS Feeds
I explored RSS feeds by following Vidya Krishnaswamy's instructions on how to set up a gadget on my blog that links RSS feeds to the blog. I now have links to five episodes of "Unshelved" on my blog. Maybe this is a way of sharing information that you find valuable with the people who are following your blog. I guess it might also be a way to find it easily, but then again, if that's the case I am not quite sure why it's faster than the Favorites button.
Blog Readers
OK, I have tried out the Google Blog Reader. I subscribed to msnbc, cnn, the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Unshelved, Librarian.net, and, of course, North Texas 23. My first reaction to this is that I have not yet figured out how it differs from using the Favorites button to bookmark and retrieve favorite websites. Indeed, since you have to log into a website to get to the information, it seems like it adds extra steps. It does not seem to be a good way to search for library blogs. I found an article called "50 Best Library Blogs" but found it easier to Google it to read the article than to use Blog Reader. Maybe I'll play around with this some more to see if it has any advantages; I haven't found them yet.
Edited to add: OK, I think I've found something valuable in this. The Google Reader page itself offers us ideas of what to look at. I've discovered some interesting things I've never seen before, like WebUrbanist. What's Hot in Google Reader reminds me a bit of Reddit and Digg.
At what point is there simply too much information for a human brain to process? When do we sacrifice depth of knowledge for a wide, shallow and cursory knowledge of basic headlines? On the other hand, might it not be part of our job to know where all these headlines are so we can help people find them?
Edited to add: OK, I think I've found something valuable in this. The Google Reader page itself offers us ideas of what to look at. I've discovered some interesting things I've never seen before, like WebUrbanist. What's Hot in Google Reader reminds me a bit of Reddit and Digg.
At what point is there simply too much information for a human brain to process? When do we sacrifice depth of knowledge for a wide, shallow and cursory knowledge of basic headlines? On the other hand, might it not be part of our job to know where all these headlines are so we can help people find them?
Curiosity
This is a redo. I am editing a file that I misspelled two days ago. Well, at least it gave me the opportunity to learn how to edit! I got to redo my motivational poster, edit my blog and redo my post. Knowing how to fix mistakes is every inch as important as knowing how to create the file.
I think this kitty is going to end up being my mascot.
I think this kitty is going to end up being my mascot.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
This image comes from the assignment for "Image Generators." This is becoming too much fun to seem like work. Maybe that's why these applications are valuable to be able to share with others. I suspect my son might find it interesting, too - and more useful than video games.
Here's the trick, though. It isn't just about dabbling in the different applications - we are going to need to find practical long-term uses for them. So far, Blogger is the application that seems to be most practical. However, I can see how using captions and other mashups on photos for library functions might lend some humor to a blog and make it more readable.
Attack of the rogue mutant hair
Just having a little fun with Captioner. My hair gets wild during storytimes.
Mashup practice
I am playing with mashups today. This is from bighugelabs.com and it shows every country I have visited. The last new place was added in 1990. I need to get out more.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Mashups
I began attempting to use mashups today. Here is my first attempt to do something on Captioner.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Flickr
I have created a Flickr account and downloaded a few photos. This is very familiar to me. It appears to be much like Photobucket. http://www.flickr.com/photos/msalearns20/
I've used photobucket to house my own digital images for a few years now. Applications in the workplace: Flickr might be the place we put the pictures we take on activities like the storytime I've got posted. If this were a live blog recording the activities of the branch, such pictures might be turned into a blogging advertisement for the storytime - possibly even with a podcast attached.
I've used photobucket to house my own digital images for a few years now. Applications in the workplace: Flickr might be the place we put the pictures we take on activities like the storytime I've got posted. If this were a live blog recording the activities of the branch, such pictures might be turned into a blogging advertisement for the storytime - possibly even with a podcast attached.
My Next Step: Required reading
Blyberg - Why 2.0 exists and matters
Goal: To make the library relevant - a destination rather than an afterthought.
Co-existing in a post-Google world.
There's a shift in library mission; the millenials want new services.
If we do not make ourselves relevant in an increasingly wired world, we will be obsolete as a profession.
An additional observation from me: In many neighborhoods, particularly lower income ones, it will be the information professionals who become the people who help new users get access to the wired world and show them how to use it effectively. Otherwise, the technological revolution will make the gap between haves and have-nots even larger. This is why we need to have updated skills - we are the teachers. My own branch is filled with people whose primary interest is in using computers. We have to learn how to make the most of the resources we provide for them.
Also Stephen Abram discusses 2.0. His tip - take 15 minutes of my day to accomplish this task and it will be manageable.
Goal: To make the library relevant - a destination rather than an afterthought.
Co-existing in a post-Google world.
There's a shift in library mission; the millenials want new services.
If we do not make ourselves relevant in an increasingly wired world, we will be obsolete as a profession.
An additional observation from me: In many neighborhoods, particularly lower income ones, it will be the information professionals who become the people who help new users get access to the wired world and show them how to use it effectively. Otherwise, the technological revolution will make the gap between haves and have-nots even larger. This is why we need to have updated skills - we are the teachers. My own branch is filled with people whose primary interest is in using computers. We have to learn how to make the most of the resources we provide for them.
Also Stephen Abram discusses 2.0. His tip - take 15 minutes of my day to accomplish this task and it will be manageable.
Starting Over
I am starting my web training 2.0 over. Summer Reading Program 2009 is quite hectic. This blog is for the express purpose of keeping track of my progress in the North Texas 23 things program.
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